He undertook three major expeditions: the Kon-Tiki Expedition, the Ra Expeditions and the Tiger Expedition.
The Kon-Tiki Expedition (1947) – Thor Heyerdahl attempted to prove his theory that Polynesia could be populated from South America and not Asia. He pointed to plant life, the winds and ocean currents as good arguments, and believed local oral tradition suggested the same.
The Ra Expeditions (1969 and 1970) – Heyerdahl tried to link the South American Indians with the ancient civilizations of Africa and the Middle East.
The Tigris Expedition (1977) – Heyerdahl wanted to test his theories about contacts across the ocean between prehistoric civilizations. The aim of the journey around the Persian Gulf and the Indian Ocean was to show that Mesopotamia and Egypt could have had trade links across the sea several thousand years ago.
Thor Heyerdahl was appointed honorary citizen of Larvik city in 1971, and for his 75th birthday in 1989, a monument made of Larvikite was erected.
The monument stands on Tollerodden.
Ada Madssen (1917 – 2009) was a sculptor who made the monument «Søstrene Backer».
The Backer sisters, Harriet and Agathe, were the daughters of consul, shipowner and businessman Nils Backer (1815 – 1877) and Sofie Smith Petersen (1819 – 1882).
Harriet Backer was born on 21 January 1845 in Holmestrand and died on 25 March 1932 in Oslo. She was one of the foremost painters of her generation. Harriet had a painting school where she trained new artists, and she was recognized as a great artist in Norway from the 1880s.
Harriet has been given a place in the new national art museum, and is regarded as one of the most important artists of her time. She is best known for "blått interiør (blue interior)", which shows the play of sunlight in the interior.
Agathe Backer Grøndahl was born in 1847 in Holmestrand and died in 1907 in Kristiania. Agathe was a world-class pianist and Norway's first important female composer, and had a central role in Norway's musical life where she was particularly known for her romances. Agathe was also a personal friend of Edvard Grieg – and performed three times as a soloist with Grieg himself as conductor.
